Of Past Regret and Future Fear
by BlueWolf83
Summary: FINALLY UPDATED! 8/1/08! So, here's the challenge: What do you do when you have to fight the Power in order to keep the Power? Now, that's something to think about... Read and Review! please? cowritten with Adam's Jane
1. What Dreams May Come

**_Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers… Although I am asking for a David Yost and an Austin St. John for Christmas. _****_J_****_   I do, however, own the characters that you do not remember from the show. Just as a note: Andrea used to be Billy's assistant in the Power Chamber, and also used to be his girlfriend before he left for Aquitar. I'll explain this in depth throughout the story. God Bless!_**

  
  
**Of Past Regret and Future Fear**

It was dark when he entered the Command Center. It had been years since he had been here; he wasn't sure if he was still allowed inside since he no longer possessed a power coin. He found the doors opened with ease and heaved a sigh of relief. "Once a Ranger, always a Ranger," he smiled and entered into the Power Chamber. He took in a deep breath, breathing in the same musty smell that he had breathed in close to 8 years ago. Tossing his backpack on the ground, he glanced around.. That's when he saw her. She was asleep on the scanning bed near the back of the Chamber. Tilting his head slightly and chuckling, he quietly made his way across the room. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he reached out and smoothed her hair away from her face. "Andy," he whispered. "Andy. wake up, beautiful," He smiled, lightly stroking her face.  
  
Andrea Carter moaned softly and rolled over onto her back. It took her brain a moment to process the voice, but once it did, her eyes fluttered open. She just lay there, looking up at the ceiling. not believing what her mind and heart were telling her. *No, it's not possible...* she thought, feeling the gentle familiar hand on her face. Taking a deep breath, she turned her head into the hand, and looked into the eyes of Billy Cranston.  
  
Billy smiled warmly at her. "Hey," he said softly.  
  
Andy smiled back. "Hey yourself, stranger."  
  
"How are you?"  
  
"I'm alright; what about you?"  
  
"Much better, now."  
  
She grinned and started to sit up, but Billy put his hands on either side of the bed, keeping her down. He looked deep into her eyes; she was so beautiful. He had missed her so much. "I'm so sorry," he whispered.  
  
"I know," she whispered back, never breaking eye contact.  
  
He leaned down and gently kissed her lips. Electricity surged throughout his body; no one had ever made him feel like this before.  
  
Andrea gently placed a hand on his face and moaned almost inaudibly against his lips.  
  
Billy pulled away, smirking. "Did ya miss me *that* much?"  
  
Andy returned his smirk. "Maybe.."  
  
"Maybe." he grinned before leaning down to kiss her again. Refusing to break the kiss, he pulled back the blanket, lay down beside Andrea, and then covered them both with the blanket.  
  
It was Andy's turn to break the kiss. "You sure you want to do this here?" she asked playfully.  
  
"Maybe.." Billy grinned before enveloping her lips once again. He continued to kiss and caress her for a few minutes before taking her in his arms. "Let's do this right... in a place where 5 people and a robot won't find us in the morning."  
  
She nodded, touching her forehead to his.  
  
"Tomorrow night... just you and me." He smiled warmly. "I promise you, I'll make it a night you will never forget."  
  
"I know you will," Andrea smiled back and kissed him gently before relaxing in his arms.  
  
He kissed her forehead and held her tight, never wanting to let go. The two fell asleep within minutes, smiles on both of their faces.  
  
~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_  
  
::THUD::  
  
Andrea fell out of the chair she had been sleeping in. right onto her injured arm. She lay flat on her back, eyes closed and tried to withhold her screams.  
  
"Man, what kind of dream were you having?"  
  
The voice startled her and she opened her eyes. "Actually, Tommy, this one was half-way decent," she forced a smile and took the hand he offered.  
  
"Oh, so it was about Billy," Tommy joked as he helped Andy to her feet.  
  
"Shut up!" she playfully smacked him on the arm.  
  
He grinned for a few seconds before becoming serious. "How's your arm?"  
  
Andrea glanced at her right arm and adjusted the sling. "Hurts... but I think the sling somewhat protected it."  
  
Tommy didn't seem convinced. "You should probably do a scan on it."  
  
She shrugged it off. "It's fine……."  
  
"Andy..."  
  
She sighed. "Alright, fine. I'll do it."  
  
"I'll come with you," Tommy volunteered as they went to a deserted area of the Rec Center. "Ready?"  
  
"Let's do it," she said without much enthusiasm.  
  
Tommy laughed. "That's my girl!," he grinned before the two teleported in flashes of light to the newly restored Command Center.


	2. Back From Outer Space

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers. I do, however, own the characters that you do not remember from the show. Just as a note: Andrea used to be Billy's assistant in the Power Chamber, and also used to be his girlfriend before he left for Aquitar. ( God Bless!  
  
"See, I told you it was alright." Andrea grinned and shoved the readouts from the bio-scanner against Tommy's chest.  
  
"Hey, better to be safe than sorry," he grinned back.  
  
"True," she looked around the Power Chamber. "I can't believe we did all of this!"  
  
Tommy laughed. "You mean *we* did all of this," he joked, referring to himself, Jason, Rocky, Zack, and Adam.  
  
"Hey now, I did as much as I could with this," Andy raised her slinged arm a bit.  
  
"I know," he smiled.  
  
Both were quiet for few seconds, taking in the newly restored Command Center, before Andrea spoke up quietly. "He's not gonna show, is he?" she asked sadly.  
  
"I don't know, sweetheart......." Tommy whispered as he pulled her in for a hug. After a minute, he pulled away and looked into her eyes. "Would you honestly take him back after this?"  
  
She chuckled ruefully. "I don't know." She looked up at the ceiling, fighting back tears, and then back at Tommy. "I honestly don't know what..." she trailed off as she caught a glimpse of a figure over Tommy's shoulder.  
  
Tommy turned to she what she was looking at.  
  
As the figure walked closer, they both could see that is was none other than the original blue ranger himself.  
  
Tommy stepped forward first, embracing his old friend. "Billy! Good to see you, man!"  
  
Billy smiled. "Thanks; you too, Tommy." He grew quiet as he looked at Andy. "Andrea..." He touched her face with hands as gentle as his voice.  
  
"I'll leave you two alone; give you some time to catch up." Tommy said to the two.  
  
They both just nodded.  
  
Tommy smiled and winked at Andrea before disappearing in a white streak of light.  
  
Billy and Andrea just kept looking into each other's eyes.  
  
"Andrea, I am *so* sorry..." Billy whispered.  
  
It took every ounce of strength Andrea had not to kiss him. She just took in a deep breath and nodded. "Did, uh, did you see what we did to the Command Center?" she asked nervously, still gazing into his gorgeous green eyes.  
  
Billy smiled. "You're all I want to see..." he trailed off as he leaned in to kiss her.  
  
His lips brushed against hers for a brief second before she pulled away. He looked at her like she was crazy. "Andrea?"  
  
Andy stood there, her mouth open slightly, not able to speak... so she just walked away, confused and her lips on fire. 


	3. Dr Billy, I Presume

Tommy walked back into the Youth Center after teleporting into an empty area of the parking lot. He spotted his large group in a corner, so he made his way over to them and sat down. "Hey guys, what's up?"  
  
Kim, Jason, Zack, Rocky, Adam, Tanya, Aisha, and Kat said their hellos before Aisha spoke up.  
  
"Hey, Tommy... Where's Andy? I thought she was with you."  
  
Tommy grew quiet for a moment before responding. "Command Center. Billy's back."  
  
The group grew silent. Only Kimberly and Zack looked confused.  
  
"What's up with Billy and Andy?" Kim asked innocently.  
  
Jason took a deep breath before explaining. "Shortly after you left for the Pan-Global games, Billy and Andrea started dating. They dated for a little over a year... The relationship had gotten pretty serious; Billy even mentioned marriage to me at one point."  
  
"So... what happened?" Zack asked, curious as to what broke apart the two technical advisors.  
  
"Well, Billy started to age as a side effect from his regenerator, so the Alien Rangers took him to Aquitar to cure him." Jason paused. "After he was cured, he sent back a transmission saying that he was staying on Aquitar; that Cestria was the only one who ever truly understood him."  
  
Kim put a hand to her mouth. "Oh my gosh, poor Andy!"  
  
"Yeah, she stuck around for a little while longer and then took off." Tommy finished. "She just couldn't take it anymore."  
  
"How could Billy do that?!" Zack asked incredulously.  
  
"I dunno, man... But there has to be a reason... a good one." Tommy looked at his friends as they nodded in agreement.  
  
~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_  
  
MEANWHILE, SOMEWHERE IN THE COMMAND CENTER...  
  
"Andy! Where are you going?" Billy shouted as he followed her through the dark corridors.  
  
Andy was silent as she opened a door that led to a medical exam room. She entered the room and flipped on the lights.  
  
Billy followed her in. "Hey, I heard you decided to go to college..." he said, trying to start a conversation.  
  
Andrea just nodded as she reached into a medicine cabinet and withdrew a vial of toradol and a syringe.  
  
"Why'd you leave Angel Grove?" he asked, curious.  
  
She glanced at him and then back to the drugs. "Why'd *you* come back?" she shot back.  
  
"Why did *you*?" he retorted.  
  
"I asked you, first..." she muttered, drawing the liquid into the syringe and putting the cap back over the needle.  
  
"Oh yeah, real mature." Billy rolled his eyes and then looked and Andrea. She had this look upon her face... he had seen it before. It was the one she got when she was fighting back tears. "Hey..." he said quietly before wrapping an arm around her from behind and taking the syringe with his free hand. "Let me do that, okay?"  
  
Andy looked away and said nothing, but she let Billy lead her over to the examining bed. She sat down and watched as he placed the syringe on bed beside her and carefully removed her sling.  
  
"How did you do this?" Billy asked, keeping his voice soft and his hands gentle as he examined her badly bruised arm.  
  
"I was, um, repairing Titanus."  
  
"Oh, that's right. Titanus and Tor still lie dormant." Billy said, wiping a small area of Andrea's lower arm with an alcohol wipe. Picking up the syringe, he looked into her eyes. "You still hate needles?"  
  
Andy smiled and nodded sheepishly.  
  
He uncapped the needle. "That's alright," he smiled at her. "I promise you won't feel a thing."  
  
Andrea smiled at him again.  
  
"Alright, close your eyes, sweetheart..." Billy said in a soothing voice, holding her arm with one hand and the syringe in the other. "Good... Now take a deep breath..."  
  
Andy did as she was told and Billy skillfully slid the needle into her arm.  
  
A few seconds later, she peered out of one eye to see what he was doing.  
  
Billy laughed as he capped the needle once more. "It's over, Andy. You can relax now." He threw the empty syringe into the nearby Sharps box. "And to think you were going to inject that yourself," he grinned and sat back down beside her.  
  
"How did you get so good at that?" Andrea asked.  
  
"Practice," he continued to grin. "Med. School makes you do that, you know."  
  
"You went to med. school?!" she asked incredulously, slipping her sling back on.  
  
"Yeah, in Chicago."  
  
"So, you've been back on Earth for..." Andy trailed off.  
  
"A few years now. But I couldn't come back to Angel Grove until now. They would've found me. Also, you weren't here, so there really wasn't a point."  
  
She smiled and blushed for a moment before looking him in the eyes. "Who's 'they'?"  
  
Billy smiled back and sighed. "It's a long story."  
  
Andy smirked. "I'm listening, Dr. Billy."  
  
"Uh huh," he grinned, pulling her into his arms and laying back on the exam bed. "Tell you what... I'll tell you exactly what happened if you promise you'll stay in my arms throughout the entire story."  
  
"I promise," she replied happily.  
  
"Now, it's a long story... Are you sure?" Billy joked.  
  
"Yeah, I don't think it will be a problem..." she flashed him a big smile.  
  
"Good," he winked, knowing that it drove her crazy when he did that.  
  
Andy grinned and snuggled closer to him.  
  
Billy held her close, took in a deep breath, and began to tell his story. 


	4. Wake Me Up

"Shh... Check it out..." Tommy whispered to his fellow former Rangers as they teleported into the Command Center the next morning.  
  
"Oh my gosh, look at this place!" Kim exclaimed.  
  
Zack grinned. "You wouldn't believe how much work this took!"  
  
"Yes, I would..." Kim was still in awe.  
  
"You know, Kim, I did most of work..." Jason joked, slipping an arm around her waist as the group turned a corner.  
  
"Uh huh, sure..." Adam playfully hit Jason in the arm. "You know that I was the one who *really* did all the work..."  
  
"Hey now, what about me?!" Rocky spoke up, running a hand through his short brown hair.  
  
"What *about* you?" Aisha laughed.  
  
"Shhh, guys, look..." Kat stopped in front of the exam room where Billy and Andrea were asleep.  
  
Tommy raised an eyebrow as he looked into the room. Both Billy and Andrea were asleep on the exam bed, and Billy had his arms wrapped around Andrea.  
  
Billy, sensing someone was watching, slowly opened his eyes. Turning so he could see the doorway, he kept one arm around Andrea and ran his free hand through his sandy blonde hair. He felt his face turn red as he was greeted by 9 grinning Rangers. Smiling, he mouthed the word "Hey" to Tommy, and quietly climbed off of the bed. He leaned over and gave Andy a kiss on the cheek before walking over to the others.  
  
"Ya know, you didn't have to get up, bro." Jason grinned as they followed Billy to the Power Chamber.  
  
Billy just smirked and nodded.  
  
Tommy placed a hand on Billy's shoulder. "So, uh, looks like you two made up?"  
  
Billy grinned and turned the corner into the Power Chamber. "Maybe..."  
  
"Maybe..." Tommy laughed.  
  
"Hey, Tommy, have you seen Andrea? She didn't come back to the apartment last night." Erin Oliver asked her brother, without looking up from the control panel she was working on.  
  
"Why don't you ask Billy," Tommy smirked, looking at his old friend.  
  
"What? Tommy, that's not poss..." Erin turned to face the group. "Billy..."  
  
"Hey, Erin." Billy walked over and gave her a quick hug. Erin just stood there.  
  
"What are you doing here?"  
  
"The same thing you all are doing here." He replied.  
  
Erin was silent for a moment before speaking in a low voice. "I won't let you hurt her again."  
  
"I don't intend to," Billy turned to face the entire group. "I didn't intend to the first time. You'll see that when you hear the whole story."  
  
"Hmph. Yeah, right. And just what is the whole story, Billy?" Rocky's cousin, Melanie De Santos spoke up as she entered the Power Chamber.  
  
"Um, do I know you?" Billy asked, confused as to who this woman was.  
  
"No," Melanie stated as she walked over to her boyfriend, Adam. "But I feel as if I know *you*."  
  
Billy sighed. "Why do I get the feeling that's not a good thing?" he muttered to himself.  
  
"Billy, what's going on?" a sleepy Andrea asked from behind the group.  
  
As Billy looked up, his face softened. "Hey, c'mere beautiful." he smiled, extending his left hand.  
  
Andrea smiled and walked over to him, raking her fingers through her shoulder-length blonde hair and then taking his hand with her left hand. Billy grinned and spun her so that both of his arms were wrapped around her from behind. Andy leaned back against him as he rested his chin on the top of her head. The two looked back at the group.  
  
"I guess I owe you all an explanation," Billy started.  
  
Everyone nodded.  
  
"Yeah, that'd be nice," Kat said.  
  
He held Andrea closer and kissed the top of her head. "Alright, but I must warn you, it's not what you're expecting... But it's better that you hear this from me."  
  
All eyes fixated on Billy as he began to speak again.  
  
~_~_~_~_~_ STAY TUNED FOR BILLY'S 'STORY' IN THE NEXT CHAPTER!! 


	5. The Story So Far

"I'm not sure where to start; things have been really crazy lately..." Billy paused for a moment, trying to delay the inevitable. "I guess I should start by saying that *I* was the one who called you all here."  
  
Twelve pairs of eyes stared at the former technical advisor... He ran a hand through his hair and continued: "As you all are aware, I left for Aquitar several years ago. What you don't know is what happened once I was there."  
  
Andrea leaned back against Billy and looked up. He held her tighter and kissed her forehead; her support meant everything to him. "It didn't take very long for me to get back to normal, and I really did want to come back to Earth, back home. Anyway, I was looking around the Alien Rangers' version of the Command Center, checking out some of their extremely high- tech equipment... You wouldn't believe the things they're doing with Van de Graaff generators and neutrinos!... Not electron-neutrinos, though. Just muon-neutrinos and tau-neutrinos. Also, their work with Gluons and quarks is absolutely astounding!"  
  
"Uh. what-what and what?" Rocky asked, completely confused.  
  
Billy smiled. "Nevermind. Let's just leave it at I was checking some very high-tech equipment..." He paused before continuing. "I was leaning over a control panel, when Delphine attacked me from behind with some sort of metal rod..."  
  
"What?!" Tanya exclaimed, cutting him off.  
  
"Yeah, I know... I was still pretty weak from my experience, so I was basically helpless." Billy sighed, and Andrea turned around and hugged him. "You would think all those years as a Ranger would've taught me to watch my back no matter what," he chuckled ruefully, resting his head on top of Andy's again.  
  
"Wait a minute... How do you know it was Delphine?" Jason asked. "I mean, no offense, bro., but that seems a little far-fetched."  
  
"Well, in those brief few moments of consciousness after I hit my head on a control panel, I was able to get a good look at my attacker's face..." Billy stopped for a moment, the memories flooding his mind. "I remember lying down on a table of some kind, being unconscious, but able to hear everything that went on. I remember trying to move, but not being able to. Delphine was talking to Cestria, saying something about a transmission to Earth... They were planning on keeping me on Aquitar in order to help them..."  
  
Kimberly and Zack could do nothing more than stare at the former blue Ranger as they absorbed all of the information he was giving them.  
  
Billy continued to talk, never pausing to see their reactions. "Cestria thought she could keep pretending to be romantically interested in me, and that I returned the emotion. She wasn't interested in me, just my brain... what I could tell her about your weaknesses. She had no clue about Andy..."  
  
"Oh, but I had heard all about her!" Andrea muttered against Billy's chest. "That little sl..."  
  
Billy grinned, silencing Andy by placing two fingers over her mouth. "Anyway, from what I recall, they used an old transmission and then used a voice-over effect..."  
  
"So that's why it sounded nothing like you!" Katherine exclaimed.  
  
He nodded. "Exactly. And when Cestria told you all that I was so happy I was speechless, the reason I was speechless was that I was unconscious... Well, to make a very long story short, when the Alien Rangers were fighting with you, they were just assessing you. Seriously. I know it sounds crazy, but trust me. They've had their whole plot outlined for years... Which brings me to why you all are here."  
  
Billy finally took a long pause, glancing at everyone in the Power Chamber. After what seemed like ages, he started to speak again.  
  
"Guys, in three days, the Alien Rangers, with the exception of Cestro and Aurico, will try to destroy the Power." He sighed deeply. "Problem is: they're also using the Power. So, here's the challenge: What do you do when you have to fight the Power in order to keep the Power? Now, that's something to think about... " Billy closed his eyes for a moment, and rubbed his forehead as a horrible headache crashed through his head. "I really need to go lie down," He murmured to Andrea before stumbling out of the Power Chamber, not even awaiting a reaction from the others.  
  
No one knew how hard it was for him to talk about what happened; not even Andy knew the whole story. Not even she, the love of his life, knew about the nightmares that *still* haunted his sleep after all these years...  
  
*****STAY TUNED FOR THE RANGER'S REACTIONS TO BILLY'S NEWS. WILL THEY BELIEVE HIM? ALSO, HOW DID HE ESCAPE FROM AQUITAR??***** 


	6. Perchance to dream

**Chapter 6**

            _His feet, clad in blue converse sneakers, pounded the pavement outside of Angel Grove High. Throwing open the door, he raced down the hallways looking for room 1121. This was not how he imagined his first day of freshman year to be… late for his A.P. Biology class. He came to a screeching halt outside of the classroom. Slowly turning the doorknob, he took a deep breath before entering the room._

_            Blocking his path to the desks was a rather large and rather scary looking teacher. _

_            "Why are you late, young man?" she asked him, her voice deep and threatening as she tapped her yardstick on the linoleum floor._

_            "I'm so sorry... my electric chronometer failed to perform its function this morning…" he replied in a quiet voice._

_            The teacher… and the rest of the class… just stared at him, speechless, until a small female voice spoke up from the back of the classroom. "He said his alarm clock didn't go off."_

_            "Oh… well then… um, please take your seat, young man." The teacher replied, a bit flustered._

_            He heaved a sigh of relief and made his way back to where the voice had come from. As he sat down beside the girl, he smiled. "Thanks."_

_            "No problem," she smiled back. _

_            "My name is Billy," he extended his hand._

_            "I'm Andrea," she shook his hand._

_            "It's nice to meet you," the two said simultaneously._

            Billy stirred slightly in his sleep, a small smile on his lips.

_            "Billy!" Andrea laughed as they ran in the grass along side the lake in their formalwear; they had left the prom early that night._

_            He chuckled and continued running. "C'mon!" he grabbed her hand. "It's just a little farther."_

_            "Where are we going?"_

_            "Right here," he grinned, coming to a stop underneath an old oak tree. "Look at that…" he pointed out to the lake, where the moonlight sparkled brilliantly on the water._

_            "I've never seen it like that before…" Andrea replied in awe, leaning back against him. "It's beautiful!" she said softly._

_             "Not as beautiful as you," he whispered in her ear as he held her close._

_            She blushed and turned to face him.  _

_            "Andrea…" he whispered, caressing her face gently with his fingers, his eyes gazing into hers. There was something he desperately wanted to tell her… something he had wanted to say for a long time. He had been waiting for the perfect time, and that time was now. "Andrea," he started again. "I love you," he smiled._

_            She blushed again. "I love you too, Billy," she smiled back._

_            He grinned as he pulled her into a searing kiss._

            But this is where the dream always changed.

_His feet pounded the ground once again… but he did not recognize his surroundings. Shiny metal walls surrounded him; the floor he was running on sounded hollow under his boots. He had to escape. He could hear their voices; they were gaining on him. _

_"Hurry, this way!" his friend shouted to him from a doorway._

_Stumbling into the room, he stopped to catch his breath. "Thanks, guys," he panted._

_"Don't mention it," Cestro patted his old friend on the back._

_"Aren't you worried about what they will do to you for helping me?"_

_Aurico sighed. "Rangers stick together, Billy. At worst, they will exile us without food."_

_"Then come with me!" the young scientist exclaimed as the voices grew closer._

_Cestro shook his head. "I'm sorry; we cannot."_

_A deafening silence took hold of the situation for several seconds before Aurico looked at the Earthling. "I'm sorry, Billy…" he trailed off sadly._

_The door flew open revealing Delphine, Cestria, and three of their minions. _

_"Seize him!" Delphine ordered. _

_The minions grabbed the former Power Ranger by his arms and drug him backwards out the door._

_"No! Please!..." He struggled to free himself, looking up at Cestria with pleading eyes "Please…"_

"Please… no…. NO!" Billy awoke in a cold sweat, his heart pounding hard in his chest. 

"Billy, are you okay?" Andrea raced into the room, a concerned look upon her face.

"Andy…." He said quietly, sitting up. 

"Hey," she walked over and sat down beside him on the bed. "It's alright… it was just a dream, sweetie."  She had never seen him so upset before. Billy was always the calm one, but now Andrea could see fear in his eyes. She slid an arm around him, and smoothed his blonde hair out of his face. "Shh… it's okay…." 

"Talk about role reversal…" he whispered, laughing ruefully. Usually, it was _him_ who was comforting _her_.

She looked him in the eyes. "What was that about? What had you so scared?" she asked soothingly.

"It was… just another nightmare," Billy murmured as he noticed his gray shirt was soaked with sweat.

"_Another_ nightmare?"

"Yeah… um…" Billy pulled the shirt off over his head with ease. "I have the same one fairly often." He tossed the shirt aside and looked back at his girlfriend. "They start off with how we met," he motioned between him and Andy. "Then it moves on to Prom night, when I told you I loved you for the first time…" he smiled at the memory.

Andrea smiled back at him, also remembering that magical night.

But the scientist's smile quickly faded as he told her the other part of the dream.

"Oh, sweetie, I'm so sorry…" Andy pulled him into a hug.

Billy took in a deep breath as he felt her hands glide gently across his bare skin… this was something he hadn't felt in years; he hadn't realized he had missed it  so much until now.

She pulled away, paying close attention to his facial expressions as she slid one hand down his arm and the other down his chest.

"Andrea…"

"Hmm?"

Longing had replaced the fear in his eyes. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her passionately as he lay back on the bed, pulling her on top of him.

She smiled against his lips as her fingers lightly traced the muscles of his chest and abdomen. "Still working out, I see…" she murmured.

"Absolutely," he murmured back, grinning.  He kissed her again, his tongue catching hers in a seductive dance.

Andrea moaned lightly, becoming lost in the moment. It had been so long…

Billy's arms tightened around her as he continued to kiss her. He allowed one hand to travel under her shirt and gently massage the small of her back.

She whimpered softly; her skin burning and tingling from his touch.

**::CRASH!::**

Billy and Andy looked up to see where the noise had come from. Standing just beyond the open doorway was Rocky.

"Heh… sorry guys," he grinned sheepishly, picking up the box of supplies he had dropped. "Um… carry on," he said, before making a hasty retreat.

Andrea sighed. "I've *got* to learn to lock the door!"

Billy laughed, his green eyes sparkling. "I guess that means we should go get some work done…." he said softly, fingering the pendant around Andy's neck.

"I guess…" Andy chuckled nervously as she climbed out of the bed. She looked back at a still shirtless Billy and smirked before leaning down and kissing him gently.

He smiled as she pulled away, and watched as she walked out the door.  A funny feeling came over him… he felt as if Andrea was keeping something from him. "Nah, she wouldn't keep anything from me," he reassured himself before crawling out of bed and finding a new shirt.


	7. Mmmmm Tarzan

**Mmmmm…Tarzan.**

Confusion surged through her brain as she stared at the new world around her. If not for the magnificence of the view she could have been terrified. But how could one be frightened when staring up at this lush green canopy? This foreign jungle spread for countless miles in every direction. Whoever was complaining about the shrinking rainforest had, clearly, never seen its vast size. 

The nearly deafening din of monkey chatter and parrot squawks suddenly ended, as if the conductor of this tropical orchestra had waved his baton for silence. A rustle in the overhead branches told her that not all of the instruments were so willing to be silenced. 

Unless, she thought, this was the master conductor.

The terror that had not bothered to enter her mind now consumed it. She was unarmed in a foreign world, about to meet that world's master. An unnatural feeling arose inside her; she wanted to run.

The rustling overhead ceased, all was still. She wanted this to be relieving, but it only heightened her fear. Every animal in this jungle was staring at her, the intruder. The tension was so unbearable that she was grateful when the branches overhead shook violently and an animal leapt out at her.

She fell to the ground to avoid the attack. The animal landed at her feet, its back to her. In her shocked state, the girl did not have the sense to escape, but lie there on the leaf-covered floor staring at her attacker. In the brief second before it turned to face her, she studied the animal's back. It was an ape, huge and hairless. She could trace the muscled in its back and could clearly see long lines of scars from where this ape had fought with leopards. The leopards had left souvenirs, but what had this creature given in return?

There was no time to contemplate the gruesome response; the ape turned its sight on her. It…no, he. He stared at her from under his lowered eyebrows. His eyes were dark and intelligent; they surveyed her fallen form before moving closer.

He walked with his knuckles, like a gorilla, his shoulder blades jutting out from his back, making him look larger than he actually was. Even if he was not as larger as she initially thought, he was till larger than she. The muscles flexed under his tan skin; they were enormous muscles, made to look even larger by the dirt tracing under them like heavy shadows. How easily could he snap a lion's neck? Surely, it would take far more effort than to break a human neck. The thought kept her frozen as he approached. 

He was by her side now, leaning nearer to her. When she saw him shift all his weight to his legs, freeing his hands (for the kill?), she clenched her eyes tightly closed. She did not want to see the attack that would end her life. She waited, and nothing came. She considered opening her eyes, but was far too terrified. And then it came, finally, but not quite as violently as she had expected. 

The movements were gentle, even if the skin was rough. His hand was on her face. It traced the line of her lips, her jawbone, and moved down to her neck. She relaxed under his touch. His other hand joined in pushing the hair from her shoulders so that they might better trace the line of her collarbones. She felt something brush against her face, tickling her skin. She cracked one eye open. This ape-man was still concentrating on her throat; a curtain of dark curls veiling his face.

Knowing full well that it might be a stupid idea, but not really caring, she slowly moved her arm. Yes. It was a stupid idea. The ape-man jumped at the movement, grabbing her arm in his vice-hand. 

"I'm sorry," she grasped. "Please let go!"

He consented, releasing her from his grip. Rather that return it to the ground, she let her arm hang in mid air for a moment before slowly, carefully inching it toward him again. It was painstakingly slow. He frequently flinched at her approach, forcing her to top and let him accept the proximity. Eventually he realized he was not a threat and allowed her to come near. It seemed to take hours for her fingers to finally touch his face. She moved his hair away from his face, tucking it behind his ears; always her movements were slow, always gentle. He allowed her hand to linger on his face. His skin was warm, moist from sweat and gritty with dirt. 

His almond eyes watched her intently as she finally removed her fingertips from his skin. The dark orbs seemed to glisten with an emotion she could not quite place; though she would soon be able to guess what it was as he moved close and buried his face in her neck.

***

Looking up from the control panel she was currently working on, Tanya noticed Billy staring off into space. His eyebrows were lowered in both confusion and concern. Tanya followed his eyes. He was looking through the open infirmary doors to a bed where Melanie was taking a fitful nap. 

"Billy," Tanya poked his shoulder. 

"Is she…" he looked from Tanya to Melanie, searching for the right word.

"She's fine." Tanya assured him.

"But, then…"

"Trust me," she smiled, her eyes mischievous. "It's just Tarzan again."

"Tarzan…" He looked back at the girl, thrashing in her sleep. "Here I would have expected her to be dreaming about Adam."

Tanya giggled. "She is."

Billy looked across the Power Chamber to where Adam and Andrea were squatting in front of a service panel, fiddling with wires. Adam's long hair was tucked messily behind his ears, a smudge of grease on his face. All too easily could Billy see him as the Tarzan of Melanie's dreams. He shook his head violently, dislodging the image before it permanently warped his view of Adam.

Tanya giggled again, loudly enough that Adam looked up from his work. He saw the two turn away quickly, giggling conspiratorially, and he knew.

"Tanya!" he shouted. "You promised!"

"I couldn't help it," she pointed at the infirmary.

"I'm going to go put on a parka!" Adam declared, and marched from the Power Chamber, metal doors slamming shut behind him. Billy wasn't sure how a pair of mechanical doors managed to sound so angry as they closed. 

Without a word, Andrea got up from her crouched position and followed behind Adam, the doors closing much quieter this time.

Tanya and Billy paused, wondering if they should apologize. They decided against it, and chose, instead, to burst out laughing. The sudden ruckus woke Melanie from her sleep. The dejected look on her face told them that they had woken her at the most inopportune moment. This only made their laughter worse.

"Where's Adam?" This was not the question to ask.

Billy pointed to Tanya as he doubled over with laughter. Tanya had to hold her side for a moment. And gasping for breath, she managed to say: "He's over there."

  
"Why is he in there?"

"He's," she gasped again, "getting a parka…"

"So we won't," Billy was finally able to speak, "see him as……as……."Laughter overtook them again as they attempted to say the name.

"See him as what?" Melanie thought she knew, but was hoping Tanya hadn't told. 

"TARZAN!" Billy blurted. And the pair collapsed one the ground.

"Tanya!!!"

Melanie stormed from the Power Chamber, hoping that they were too busy to notice that she was making her exit into the room where her Tarzan was hiding.

"Oh…." Tanya gasped. "I don't know who's worse: Melanie or Andrea!" She giggled again, but she was the only one this time. Billy was silent, looking at her like she had just broken his favorite mass spectrometer.

"Billy…"she started, wanting to explain what she had meant. But the man was up and gone from the Power Chamber before she got the chance to figure out how to explain herself.


	8. Mmmmm Tarzan: part 2

**Mmmm...Tarzan****. Part 2!**

Melanie found Adam and Andrea sitting side-by-side in a small lounge-like room that looked like it hadn't been used in years.  "Hey, you okay?" she asked Adam quietly, walking over and sitting on the other side of him.

"I guess……." He replied, almost inaudibly, as Melanie slid an arm around his shoulders. 

"Adam, look, just because Billy knows doesn't mean that he's going to go around telling everyone. He's very trustworthy."  Andrea gave him a sympathetic smile.

"Yeah, I know," Adam sighed, pushing a strand of hair out of his face. "It's just that… well, you know how easily rumors and things get spread around here. It's a small group; things get around."

"That's true," Andrea paused for a second. "I remember for the longest time people thought I was dating Jason."

Melanie raised an eyebrow. "You mean you didn't?"

Andrea smirked in a what-do-you-think kind of way. She then became serious again. "Adam, really, I wouldn't worry about it. Billy's not going to tell anyone; I promise."

Adam smiled and pulled her in for a hug. "Thanks, Andy. That means a lot. You've always been there for me……. "

As her head rested on his shoulder, Andrea looked at Melanie to see her reaction.

Melanie had an amused grin on her face as she mouthed the words: "Doctor Billy."

"You know I hate you, right?" Andy bit her bottom lip to try to keep from grinning. It didn't work.

"Uh huh, I know." Melanie smirked.

"You better not breathe a word of that to any……."

"AHEM!"

Andrea and Adam released each other from their embrace, and all three Rangers looked up towards the door. 

Standing in the doorway with one arm holding the doorframe, the expression on Billy's face was less than pleasant.  "Andrea, can I please speak with you for a moment?"

"Uh… sure." Andrea stood up, a concerned look upon her face. "Guys, I'll see ya later," she said to Adam and Melanie. "Remember what I said……. And try to behave." 

Billy raised his eyebrows at her last comment; images of Tarzan began to fill his mind again. Once again, he shook his head to clear it, and escorted Andrea out of the room. "Come on," he told her quietly, placing a hand on her back and ushering her down the corridor.

"Billy, what's wrong?" Andy asked in a low voice.

He said nothing and led her into another room, closing the door behind them. Standing in front of her, he looked deep into her eyes. "Andrea… is there anything you need to tell me?"

"Uh… I love you…"

Billy smiled. "Well, I love you too, but that's not what I was looking for."

"Um…" A devious idea crossed through her mind. "I'm pregnant?"

Billy's jaw dropped slightly and his eyes grew wide.

Andrea immediately wished she hadn't said that. "Relax, sweetie. I was just kidding." 

Billy let out the breath that had been caught in his throat. 


	9. Mmmmm Tarzan: part 3

**Mmmm...Tarzan****. Part 3!**

An awkward pause followed as each waited for an explanation. That pause just kept getting larger until it felt as though this silence had acquired a physical form. Finally Billy sighed.

"Look, Andrea," he wanted to pause, but knew it would grow again, so he kept going. "I realize that I've been gone for quite some time--"

"Seven years, two months, and ten days," Andy quickly ticked off the numbers before smiling awkwardly. "But who's counting?"

"A very long time," Billy corrected. "And I can't say I really would have expected you to sit here waiting for me. It's perfectly understandable that you would leave after what happened, but…"

The pause came again, smiling at the space it created between the pair. But the pause realized that it would soon be pushed away again. It knew something must be done to secure its place in this relationship. And it knew just how to achieve this effect. It leaned close to the blonde woman and whispered in her ear.

"You think I went off and had sex with everybody!" She bridled under the implication. 

"I didn't say that!" Billy cried defensively, though it really was what he was thinking. 

"You were thinking it!" She stared into his face. "You still are thinking it!"

"Andy, if you'd just see things from my--"

"No." She said. "No. We are going to look at this from MY perspective. Okay?" She didn't give the pause a chance to butt in. "Which one of us ran off to another planet without saying good-bye?"

"Andy," his voice sounded like she was dragging a razor across his skin. "I was aging at a highly accelerated rate. I would have died."

"You didn't say good-bye." The pain this had caused her was so evident that he knew there was no point in arguing. 

"And," she continued. "Which one of us allowed the other back into her life--and mouth--without asking for a single answer?"

He nodded slowly. "You did." It didn't take a genius to see that he was defeated. 

"So then. If I am both the injured and more gracious party," she smiled broadly. "Then it is my word you will trust when I say there has been no one since you left."

"Alright."

"Why would you even think that, anyway?"

Billy opened his mouth to say it was Tanya's doing, which was partially true. But he didn't wish to pass the blame onto someone else. "I…overreacted to something Tanya said." He pulled a hand through his hair nervously. "She said that you were as bad as Melanie. But in retrospect, it was probably in reference to her…ah…primitive whimsical conceptions…"

"Say what?"

"Melanie's Tarzan fantasies," Tanya translated quickly as she passed by with her arms full of a subatomic welder. The girl paused to add something in her own defense, "And I *meant* that you're as bad as Mel is with those fantasies." She trotted off. 

Billy looked back at Andrea, raising an eyebrow suspiciously. "Uh…. not Tarzan, right? Please tell me I'm not Tarzan in your head."

Andrea let a devilish grin pull across her face. Knowing it wasn't nice to mislead him didn't stop her from enjoying the sight of a grown man blushing.


	10. Mmmmm Tarzan: part 4

**Mmmm...Tarzan****. Part 4!**

She savored the next few seconds, watching his face turn three different shades of red. She then moved slowly towards him and slid her arms around his neck, causing him to instantaneously wrap his arms around her. "You know, you're lucky I'm so forgiving."

"I really am," Billy said softly, touching his forehead to hers, and gazing affectionately into her eyes.

"You really are," she smiled, playing with a piece of his sandy blonde hair.

He smiled back at her. For the first time in a long time, it felt like all was right with the world. He desperately wanted to kiss her, and he knew she wanted him to, but he decided to make her wait. "So, you never told me… I'm not Tarzan, am I?" he kept his voice low.

Andrea blushed and looked down. "No…"

"Well, that's good to know," Billy placed two fingers under her chin and lifted her head up so he could look into her eyes again. "Who am I, then?" he asked with an amused look on his face.

She tried to look away, her face growing redder by the minute.

Billy started to grin. "Come on, Andrea. I'm curious; I'd like to know who I am in your fantasies."

"Why?" she asked, amused as well as embarrassed.

A devious smile formed on his face. "I have my reasons…" he winked at her. "As long as I'm not Tarzan."

"Not unless Tarzan wears a lab coat and carries a stethoscope…" Andy had never felt her face grow so hot so fast before.

Billy raised an eyebrow and grinned. "Hmm… me in a lab coat…. You know, that can probably be arranged," he chuckled, never breaking eye-contact.

"Billy!" she exclaimed softly, clearly completely embarrassed.

"That's 'Doctor' Billy to you, sweetheart," he grinned before pressing his lips against hers, lightly at first, then growing a bit more impassioned.

Pulling away, he smiled softly at her. "What do you say we go find the others?"

Andrea was speechless; all she could do was nod.

Billy laughed lightly. "It was that good for me, too." He slipped an arm around her and escorted her out of the room. "So, you really haven't been with anyone since I left?" he smiled slyly.

Andy found her voice. "Billy, you're the only one I've _ever_ been with."

"So that means you haven't had a…." he trailed off, smirking. "Wow, that's a long time…."

"SHUT UP!" She grinned, blushing yet again, as they made their way back to the room where they had left Adam and Melanie.

"Aww, look…." Billy continued to smirk as he pointed at the two Rangers kissing on the couch. "Shall we?" he asked with a gleam in his eye.

"Let's," Andy replied. 

The two took deep breaths and clear their throats. "AHEM!"


	11. Mmmmm Tarzan: part 5

**Mmmm...Tarzan****. Part 5!**

The doors slid apart, clunking softly as they opened fully. The pair in the lounge managed to ignore this noise. They managed to ignore the echo of the newcomers' feet on the polished floor. Then the intruders cleared their throats loudly. The couple finally had to acknowledge the others, though not politely.

"What!" Adam growled. Hidden in the shadows under his furrowed brows, his eyes glared at them. His hair was disheveled, face still smudged with grease. He was holding himself above his girlfriend in what looked like a protective gesture.

"You really don't make this any easier on yourself," Billy laughed.

Adam stood quickly, trying to compose himself. But all standing did was put him on a level where he could stare into the faces turning grotesque shades of red and purple as they tried not to laugh. Once again he retreated.

"You know," Melanie commented, still lying on the couch. "I've known you less than a day, and already you're way too good at spoiling my fun."

"Maybe you should go talk to him." Andy suggested sympathetically.

Billy sighed. "Where would he be?"

"The kitchen," Melanie told him.

"How do you know?"

"I'm good like that," she smirked. "I'll show you."

It had been her cousin's idea to add the small kitchen. And this was not simply because the greatest loves in Rocky's life went in the order of Family, Friends, and Food. When the suggestion came, his logic actually made sense. So frequently the Rangers were called away from their lives at unexpected times, that the Command Center needed to be made into a fully-functioning home. And when the Rangers considered how many times they were forced to remain there waiting for evil to attack, not one of them could argue against Rocky's suggestion.

So now the three entered Rocky's favorite part of the newly rebuilt Command Center. They found Adam sitting on a stool, sulking into a bowl of pretzels. Melanie entered first, pausing to rub the boy's back, and proceeded to the shining stainless steel refrigerator. Andrea poked at Billy, inching him further into the room. He waved her away, and moved to the stool facing Adam's.

"Listen," Billy began, but quickly realized he didn't know what he was going to say.

Adam was ignoring him anyway. As a scientist, Billy made his living with his skill of observation. Even now, when he was just a friend trying to apologize, he couldn't turn his brain off. He watched the Asian chewing on his bottom lip, his fingers rubbing at his neck--no doubt where Melanie had laid her lips.

"She gets under your skin that badly?" the scientist whispered.

"You have no idea."

"I think I can imagine…" Billy looked back over his shoulder at the blonde arguing with her sling.

"No…" Adam sighed. "You can't. She's like liquid fire to me. Any place she touches burns for hours…"

Glancing up at the fire goddess, Billy knew that she couldn't hear their hushed voices. He watched her as she searched in the refrigerator and produced a small red pepper. She passed the pepper under her nose, inhaling the scent, and then bit down. Billy could only imagine how spicy that little red devil must be, and the girl didn't even blink.

"Liquid fire…" Billy repeated slowly. "Your own Mexican hot pepper."

"Could we talk somewhere else?"

As Billy followed Adam into the Power Chamber, he questioned

whether or not he should give away the secret of Melanie's fire. He decided that was something better left to the couple, and kept his mouth shut.

There was no one else in the Power Chamber now. Tanya had taken the subatomic welder down to Tor. Kat, Tommy, and Jason were getting a gas chromatograph from the University. Aisha, Kimberly, Rocky, Zack, and Erin had been assigned the task of setting up sensors around the metropolitan area of Angel Grove--the most likely area to come under attack first. And Andrea and Melanie were in the kitchen; discussing things that would make the two men shudder.

Adam leaned against a panel, glowering at the viewing globe as it flashed images of Angel Grove. Billy opened his mouth a few times, trying to figure out just how to begin. But each time the articulate speech got lost on the way from his brain, and his lips kept forming the same words.

"I'm sorry."

"Andy swears that you won't say anything."

"I won't!" Billy assured him quickly, but Adam wasn't listening. All brooding cast aside, he stared at the viewing globe. The sphere glowed with images of a soccer team being attacked by--

"Piscelons."

"What are they?"

"Scientists on Aquitar have been developing a method of gene splicing. They've been trying to create the perfect foot soldiers so that they can save the Rangers for larger conquests."

"So those are fish-people?" The concept would have been laughable were they not seeing just how much damage the genetically engineered creatures were capable of doing.

"In the simplest sense, yes."

"We've got to stop them."

"Without your Ranger powers--"

"There's only six of them," Melanie said. She had been drawn by the warning alarm that was only now beginning to quiet. "That's three for the both of us."

"Fine. I'll set the coordinates. But remember to be careful. The piscelons are very good at their job, and you aren't a Ranger anymore…"

Before the teleporter energy had finished crackling around them, the pair was on the move. Billy had set the coordinates at a safe distance from the attack, but even from this distance they could hear the terrified screams. It seemed to take forever for them to reach the fight. They really needn't have rushed; the piscelons were just bidding their time with the park's occupants while they waited for some Rangers to arrive.

However ridiculous the fish-men looked from a distance, as they turned on the new arrivals, it was difficult not to find them at least a little frightening. Their skin shimmered with iridescent scales, while their eyes remained black, emotionless voids. The scientists on Aquitar had apparently developed the piscelons from the DNA of Barracuda, for their long narrow faces ended in a mouth erupting with dozens of needle-like teeth.

Blocking an attack from a webbed hand, Adam's eyes grew wide at the enormity of the pointed claws. He quickly set to work fighting off the piscelons; at least his skills as a martial artist hadn't abandoned him like the Ranger powers had. A few yards away, Melanie was luring the remaining foot soldiers from the soccer team, allowing the terrified teens to make their escape. Though she was never a Ranger, Melanie spent enough time with them to be a target, so Adam had made it a point of teaching her to fight. The lessons appeared to have been a wise decision; though nothing could prepare a fighter for the underhanded moves these evil fish were pulling.

While Melanie was distracted by one piscelon, another took the opportunity to make an attack. Catching the movement, she avoided having her throat slit; instead the talons raked across the side of her face. The girl let loose a long and colorful line of curses, which caused Andrea to blush as she watched the viewing globe.

As he attempted to run to his girlfriend's aid, Adam left himself open to an attack. It came swiftly, knocking him to the ground, where the barrage of kicks, punches, and scratches continued until it looked like the man was barely breathing.

Weaving an intricate line through the mid-day traffic, Tommy Oliver made his way skillfully across Angel Grove. His time as the Red Turbo Ranger had left the lasting impression of a speed demon on the man; he continually had to fight with his own leg to keep from exceeding the speed limit. The fight seemed an even greater struggle then usual. His mind was occupied with what the recent returned Billy had told them, and with his head distracted, his foot was taking over.

" Hey, man," Jason said, breaking the foot's control over the gas pedal.

"This is all too weird."

"I know," Jason nodded. "The Alien Rangers are evil. I don't want to believe it. But it's Billy, man. He's been with the Rangers from the start. I can't imagine that he would lie to us about this."

"Yeah. But why would the Aquitians be evil? They're so…." Tommy searched for the word. "Stoic."

"Gas chromatograph," the Australian said quietly from the backseat. She had drawn the short straw, and was chosen to remember the name of the instrument they had been sent to retrieve.

"But," Jason continued, thoughtfully. "Being stoic just means that you take a survey of what's happening around you without your emotions getting in the way. They probably saw which way the scale was tipping and decided it would be better not to fight the evil."

"So being stoic means it's easier to turn evil?" Tommy shot a quizzical look towards his friend.

"Gas chromatograph!" Kat said skeptically.

"Kat's right. That's bullshit." Tommy turned the white BMW onto the campus of Angel Grove University. "They're Rangers, same as we were. They're bound to the same oath as we were. It's their duty to fight evil."

"Gas chromatograph."

"Thank you," he smiled at the blonde.

"I'm not saying the decision was a good one." Jason held his hands up in surrender. "I'm just saying I can see how the decision was made."

"Gas chromatograph."

"Apology accepted," Jason smiled.

"But knowing the Aquitian Rangers are coming to destroy us doesn't help us figure out how to defeat them." Tommy pointed out as he parked the car.

"Well, that's why we're after the gas…. cartographer?" Jason looked to Kat for help. She smiled, and then replied.

"Gas chromatograph."

Erin bounced happily into the Power Chamber, eager to share the news that her sensor had been set up. But the flashing lights told her that her news was not all that important anymore. Andrea shouted to her:

"Hurry! They're losing! Morph!"

Not questioning what she was told, Erin threw her arms down to her sides. With a flick of her wrists the morphers appeared, and she yelled:

"Zeo Ranger VII: Silver!"

White hot sparks flew from her morphers and various control panels around the room; through the thin plumes of smoke they could see that Erin remained unchanged. The lights were dim now, all but the emergency lights were out; the viewing globe no longer displayed Adam's defeat.

"What happened?"

"System overload," Erin groaned. "I was afraid it might be too soon. We've been putting so much energy into all the diagnostics and repairs that it couldn't handle a morph."

"Do we have teleporters?"

"Negative," Billy punched more buttons.

Erin ran to join them at the panel. "Maybe by reversing the polarity…"

"That won't work."  
"What about surging energy from the--"

"That won't work either."

"Well, you think of something!"

"I think," Andrea jumped in before the two started slapping one another. "The locators are still online. It might be a good idea to keep their coordinates locked in….for when the power comes back on…" Really it was just something to keep her hand busy, and it gave them all hope that there would be power back soon enough to save their friends.

"Good idea. Lock onto all of them. If the piscelons are here, they can attack any of us…" Billy trailed off as he realized this was not the thing to say at the moment.

"What if we were to bleed the system of all remaining power, THEN surge it with electricity from the back up system?"

"Shock the system back into nominal… That could work." And the two scientists were off. Andrea punched coordinates into the system, and watched the others run from one panel to another, yanking out and crossing wires, and rearranging data cards.

"Moment of truth…" They all clamped their eyes shut as Billy pulled down on a lever. Only a few sparks flew, but the Power Chamber was once again lit brilliantly.

"Andy, hurry up and tele--" Erin began, but flashes of colored light indicated that Andrea had already teleported everyone back to the Command Center. Most of them looked confused; Zack was tangled in the antenna that belonged in the sensor he and Kim were setting up; Jason was still arguing with Tommy over getting to drive. Melanie was on her side, halfway through a kick at the knees of a piscelon; now that she was at the Command Center, however, her foot landed on Rocky, knocking her cousin to the floor.

"I'm sorry! Rocko! You okay?"

"I'm so glad you didn't know how to do that when we were five."

She laughed, then remembered.

"Adam!" He lay on the floor, motionless and bleeding.


	12. And Now For Something A Bit Different…

**And Now For Something A Bit Different…**

Jason and Tommy stood back; they had muscled the unconscious form into the infirmary, their work was done. Billy managed to work quickly despite the close quarters, though he frequently had to yell at his stunned friends. Only ten minutes ago many of them still doubted whether the Aquitians were really their enemies, and now they were staring at the bloody truth.

"I've got the IV in," Billy looked to them.

Andrea came forward, more willing to join him now that the needle was gone. "We should get a CBC, chem. 7, UA, lytes … and let's get a chest film and set up for an ultrasound to see if he's bleeding internally," the blonde stated with the flat tone of a trained professional.

"Sounds good to me…" Billy shot Andrea a proud yet somewhat befuddled grin, then asked, "Do you have a portable x-ray and ultrasound machine?"

"Everything is in that closet," Andrea pointed with her chin since her hands were busy being thrust into latex gloves. Erin pulled Tommy away from his sentinel position to help her haul out the medical equipment.

"To be quite honest," Billy began. No one wanted him to finish a sentence that sounded like that. "Most of the wounds look fairly superficial, I could bandage them up no problem…but internally…."

"You went to med school." Andy said hopefully.

"I know, sweetie, but this is serious. He really should be taken to a hospital."

"How would we get him there?" Jason asked. "Our cars are all back in Angel Grove."

"We could teleport him…" Kimberly suggested.

"But there wouldn't be any where secluded enough for it not to be noticed." Zack quashed that idea.

"John!" Andrea smiled, almost manically.

"Who?" More than one of them asked.

"My cousin John. He's a doctor. We can bring him here, and he can help!"

Discussion broke out among the group. Most were none too keen on bringing another non-Ranger to the Command Center, especially not when it would so soon be under attack. But what of Adam? Without proper medical care, he was as good as dead. And then someone had to bring up the oath. It was one of the rules Zordon had made them swear to obey: you do not reveal your identity to civilians.

"Zordon's gone." Melanie finally spoke. "And you're not Rangers anymore." She turned to Andrea, "Do it."

Soon Andrea stood at the teleporter, triangulating the exact location of her cousin, John Carter.

"This is going to take a while, he's in the ER."  
She continued to follow him, and after what felt like hours she told them:

"I got him!" She began to insert the coordinates into the computer, but she soon started cursing. "Somebody's in there with him." Again they were all forced to wait. Neither John nor his companion was going anywhere.

"Where are they?" Zack asked, breaking the silence.

"I think it's a lounge," Andy said.

"It's just those two people? No one can see them?"

"No one."

"Then grab them both!" Zack turned to see incredulous stares. "What's one more?"

Andrea finished pushing the buttons, and locked on before anyone could argue. A lightning flash later, and two men in lab coats were standing in the Power Chamber.

"--in Curtain 1," the shorter man finished saying before realizing the world had changed. He looked around at the room and its occupants, and turned sharply to look at his co-worker. The other man looked equally as confused, still holding the coffee carafe from the lounge.

"Do you see what I see?"

The other just nodded.

"John!" Andrea ran forward before the two could diagnose themselves as utter lunatics.   
"Andy," her cousin laughed the laugh of a man who was completely confused and scared, but didn't want to admit it.

"We need your help."

Halfway across the country, Abby Lockhart, RN threw open the door to the lounge ready to finally tell Carter off. She knew that he had come in, but the room was empty. She turned to ask someone at the nurse's station whether they had seen Carter, but the smell of something burning drew her into the lounge. She followed the smell to the coffee maker, where a steady drip of fresh coffee was falling with a sizzle onto the hotplate.

"Who took the coffee pot!"


	13. Chapter i lost track

**Chapter 11**

John stood in shock over the news that his cousin was a Power Ranger… that everyone in the room with him was or used to be a Power Ranger. He raked his fingers through his short brown hair, taking long, deep breaths.

"Uh… not to put any pressure or anything on you, John, but Adam really needs your help."

"Oh… right." John joined Andrea and Billy at Adam's bedside. Quietly they made introductions and covered what tests were currently being run. For the most part, Billy just stared with astonishment as Andrea rattled off all manner of medical jargon.

"What?..." she asked innocently as a grin spread across her face.

Billy just shook his head and grinned back at her.

She winked at him before turning back to John. "So, where's your friend?"

"Luka? I think he went off with Erin to get more supplies…" John held out his hand for a new bandage. "Haven't you met him before?"

"No," Andy said as she swapped the blood-soaked gaze for a sterile one. "I haven't been to Chicago in years, remember? … Erin, however, talks about him ALL the time. Apparently they met while she was attending Northwestern for med. school." Andy paused momentarily. "Do you think it was wise sending the two of them off together?"

"Based on the tales I've heard from Erin, probably not." Billy chuckled.

"Hey, we're back!" Erin and Luka pushed through the sea of people surrounding the doorway; their arms full of fresh bandages and such.

"Great!" John exclaimed. "Just set everything down over there," he pointed to an empty corner of the infirmary.

The two did as they were told and then approached the bed. Luka Kovac stared at the former Ranger lying motionless before him… he had blood oozing from several wounds. It looked like someone…or something… had tried to slice him up.

John looked at Billy. "If he's bleeding internally, we'll have to transport him to the nearest hospital for surgery."

Billy nodded, his eyebrows furrowed as he looked at his unconscious friend.

"I can't watch anymore…" Andy whispered in Billy's ear and made her way towards the door.

Billy looked at John, who gave him a silent nod; letting him know that they could handle the situation without him and Andy.

The green-eyed scientist walked briskly out of the infirmary and found Andrea out in the corridor explaining Adam's condition to the rest of the Rangers.

"… he may need surgery…. may." Andy had a hand on Melanie's shoulder.

"Oh my gosh…" Kim's hand flew up to her mouth.

Andy swallowed. "Look, we're still running tests. If the ultrasound shows that he's bleeding internally, then we'll have no choice but to transport him to Angel Grove Community Hospital."

"Can… can I see him?" Melanie stuttered, trying to stay strong. She couldn't help but feel a bit guilty, even thought it really wasn't her fault.

"Uh… yeah. Absolutely." Andy nodded, glancing at the cuts on Melanie's face. "You might wanna have someone take a look at those cuts on your face, too…" Andy jumped slightly as she felt a strong arm wrap around her waist.

"Hey, can we talk?" Billy whispered softly in her ear.

"Sure," Andrea replied in a low voice. Then, a bit louder: "Guys, would you excuse me please?"

Billy took Andrea's hand and the pair slipped easily through the crowd. Once inside yet another empty room, Billy gently caressed Andrea's face with the fingers of his free hand. "Andrea… are you okay?"

She let out a deep breath and smiled. "Yeah. Sorry; the scene just brought back memories…" she lifted her injured arm.

Billy noticed that she had removed the sling. "Feeling better?"

"Much."

"Good," he pulled her into a hug and just held her in his arms, never wanting to let her go.

Andy relaxed in his arms, knowing she was safe with him. "You know, we haven't really been alone since you got here," she joked.

Billy smiled and kissed the sensitive skin behind her ear. "Well, we had that one night, but both of us were too tired," he chuckled.

"Oh yeah…" she sounded a bit disappointed as she remembered.

Billy chuckled again and began to kiss her neck. "So, how on earth did you know what tests to order for Adam?" he murmured against her skin.

"Mmmm… I double-majored in nursing and biology in college," she replied simply.

"Really?" he stopped kissing her neck and smiled, impressed.

"Yes, really," Andrea laughed, maneuvering so she could look him in the eyes.

An idea flashed through Billy's mind. "You know, there could be some pretty decent fantasies between me being a doctor and you being a nurse…" he winked at her.

"Billy!" she exclaimed, blushing bright red.


	14. Andrea Explained

Andrea felt certain that her face had never glowed so brightly before. She forced her mouth into what she hoped was a seductive smirk, and prayed for something to say. Even though nothing came into her mind, she opened her mouth in the hopes that the familiar movement would result in speech.

"What were you thinking? 'Can I see him?' Moron!"

Billy's own seductive smile quickly fell, as did Andrea's. Inwardly Andrea told herself to thank Melanie for the outburst. Had the brunette not chosen that moment to begin arguing with herself outside the door it would have become painfully obvious that Andrea had no response to Billy's provocative suggestion.

And so the moment had passed them by again. Hopefully the next time it decided to stop by Andrea would be more prepared to control the conversation. A glance into Billy's green eyes told her that he was hoping something similar.

Then the unexpected came:

"Erin has a morpher!"

"What?"

"Erin. She tried to morph. You told her to morph. Since when is there a sixth Zeo crystal?" The words spilled out of him so quickly that the woman had to make him speak again.

"You've been gone a while--"

"Not again--"

"A lot has happened," she motioned to the room in which they were now standing, just one fraction of the repairs they had made in Billy's absence.

All his brilliant scientific mind could think of was: "Oh."

"Erin found it in the rubble while they were salvaging what was left…." She paused. "She called me, wanted me to know about their work, and about the crystal. I didn't want to come back, but..."

"But what?"

"I'd been broken for so long. I thought that maybe if I could rebuild the Command Center, I could rebuild myself."

_** flashback>>**_

This had been his room. No stakes were claimed, but everyone knew it was his territory. No one else would have dared to touch the shining machines and crystalline beakers. No one but Andrea. True, she had been his assistant; that alone gave her the privilege of fiddling with knobs and toggles until her fingers ached. But what about now? Now that he was gone? It had been two months, and still no one but she ever entered this lab. She sat alone at the counter, imagining him sitting across from her--where he always used to sit.

"Andy?" Tommy called in.

"How can a room so full of light feel so dark?"

"Come on outside." He wouldn't enter. "We're going to go for lunch with Jason."

"You go on ahead," she signed. "I'll catch up."

"Sure," he nodded sadly.

Andrea stood. She took one last walk around the room, passing her hand across everything. Then she went to the Power Chamber.

"Ay-yi-yi-yi-yi! I thought we'd never see you out of that lab!" Alpha greeted her.

"Indeed," Zordon boomed in his time warp. "You have been spending much time grieving Billy's departure."

"I just miss him. I'm fine." She smiled, brightly, artificially.

"I have something to present to you."

Alpha scurried into another room.

"Since the destruction of the original power coins, Billy, Alpha, and I have been working to forge their remaining energies into a new power." What Zordon was now telling her was exciting and amazing, yet she could focus on was her lover's name echoing through the Power Chamber.

"Andrea," Zordon boomed dramatically. "I present you with the Platinum Power Gem."

Behind her, Alpha clasped a delicate chain around her neck. She looked at the pendant, purple and platinum, a letter 'P' in the center. Energy pulsed through her.

"The Platinum Power Gem gives you power to control the zords Titanus and Tor."

"Thank you, Zordon." She smiled, though inside she felt hollow.

"Now, I believe you wish to join the others at the Youth Center."

"Yes," she smiled again at the Power Chamber before it disappeared into a blur of shimmering electricity.

From this deserted corner of the Youth Center, Andrea could hear the laughter of her friends. She leaned on the wall, exhausted, listening to the sound. They were Power Rangers. She had once been a Ranger, and was now one again. Billy had been a Ranger. Her mind spoke to her in sweet tones about the world she would have lived in had it not been for the Rangers. Her heart wouldn't be broken, it wouldn't hurt just to breathe.

"It's all their fault," she whispered.

She poked her head out just far enough to see Jason. He was pale, tired; he was exhausted , same as she. Being a Ranger nearly killed him.

Falling back into the corner, she looked at the pendant. "I don't want to be a Ranger again, look what it's done to me. I should return this to Zordon."

Wait! her mind cried. If you return it to Zordon, he's just going to find someone else to give it to; someone who doesn't know what it will do to her life.

"You're right," Andrea realized. "I can't let that happen to someone else. But what do I do? Zordon will try to call on me…."

Her mind spoke again: Run.

When Andrea never showed up at the Youth Center, no one was really worried. They returned to the Command Center, bring Jason with them. Andrea didn't come to greet them; she wasn't in the lab; she didn't respond to her communicator. Andrea had vanished. Later that week Erin received the communicator in the mail; and a letter apologizing for her hasty departure, but offering no explanation. They all knew why she left; they just didn't know if she would ever find her way back.


	15. When Luka met Melanie

_At long last, an update! Hooray!_

**When Luka met Melanie**

Dr. Luka Kovac--formerly ER doctor, currently resident helper in the fight against evil--was scared to death. It wasn't the first time he'd been so, and it probably wouldn't be the last. But why was he so afraid? There were no bombs flying; his patients back in Cook County General were well taken care of in his absence; his newest patient was stable. Luka was terrified of a woman barely over five feet tall. She was still carrying on an argument with herself, throwing her hands in the air as if to bat away any new points to the discussion or possibly trying to keep herself from punching something.

Questioning whether it was the brightest idea to approach an emotionally distressed black belt, Luka spoke to her. "What wa…is his name?"

"Adam. His name is…was...Adam." Melanie said the words slowly, testing them for future use.

"He's going to be fine." Luka stepped a bit closer. "Andrea was right. That should be looked at." He pointed to her face, but still kept his distance.

"Do I have to go….IN THERE?"

"Yes, you do."

She thought about it. "I'll be fine. It doesn't hurt that bad."

"Do I have to call those guys with the muscles to drag you to the infirmary?"

"Fine," she mumbled grudgingly.

Following the Croatian doctor back into the infirmary, Melanie was quite sure she had never been so grateful for a curtain in her entire life. This line of white fabric just two hundred threads per inch was the only thing preventing her from seeing Adam. And while her imagination had run wild filling his body with tubes, wires, respirators, dialysis machines, and any number of fictitious medical equipment she couldn't begin to name; she was positive that seeing the real thing even with just a fraction of the machinery would result in a total break down.

Luka was smart enough to face the girl down facing away from the curtain. His latex coated hands passed over the trails of crusted blood. After a few passes with an alcohol pad (Hey Lisa, is that right?), he was glad to find just two lines remained. He looked down at his own fingers, then at the gashes. Trailing his hand in the air above her face, fingers poised as though to tear at her flesh, he saw the gashes were oddly spaced. They could not have been made by a human hand. In a way this comforted Luka, who had lived through the cruelty humans can inflict upon their neighbors; still he could not begin to imagine what kind of monster lay waiting for the next team of Power Rangers.

"What did this?"

"Angry guppy," she muttered.

Luka nodded as though he understood. "Well, it's not as bad as it looks."

She made no reply, just continued to stare at the wall. Luka recognized the expression on her face, he'd seen it on his own many times since his family had died. It was pointless trying to tell her not to think about it, but he could at least try to distract her for a little while.

"Wait," he said sternly. "I know what this needs." He pulled a small adhesive bandage from the pocket of his lab coat. It was bright yellow and had Muppet Show character smiling out from the plastic. Not even Melanie could stay locked in her grief when presented with such a band-aid. Luka smoothed the gift across the smaller cut. It really did more to lift her spirits than to protect the wound.

Luka motioned that he was going to go back behind the curtain. Melanie left the infirmary before she could glimpse so much as one of Adam's shoes.

---------------------------

With her mind focused on a grinning Gonzo and her fingers in her ears to prevent any noises from Adam's machines to put new ideas in her head, Melanie quickly escaped the infirmary. She leaned against one of the glass panels that showed a mannequin mock-up of the White Ranger--sort of a window into times long past. She watched Billy and Erin trying not to slap one another as they both attempted to fix the morphing grid. Being the newest member of the "Power clique", excluding the two kidnapped doctors, Melanie had only ever heard stories about Wonder boy Billy Cranston. Now here he was working against the clock to save the Rangers and about to get a Silver Zeo morpher thrown at his head.

John and Luka entered the Power Chamber, their job done until the latest battery of tests results were completed by the Command Center computer. Tanya and Rocky looked up hopefully as John stepped up and began to fill them in.

"Judging by the latest CAT scan--"

A sudden high-pitched buzz sounded in the Power Chamber sending the two novice crime fighters under a control panel.

"Are we under attack?" Luka asked, pulling Erin to safety.

"You aren't." Melanie pulled out her mobile phone. "But I am." She turned away in a lame attempt at privacy, "Yeah, Michael. On my way."

"You can't seriously be considering going to work right now," Kimberly gaped.

"Two of my sous-chefs have the flu, I have no choice," she turned to leave.

"It's unwise for us to go running around the city," Billy called out to her. He entered a command into the computer and the viewing globe showed images of the Piscelons during her and Adam's fight. She turned away, unwilling to relive the battle. "These aren't like any of the mindless minions we have faced in the past. The Piscelons are bred with the instinct to find any weakness in their opponent and to exploit it. We must proceed with caution."

Andrea turned the viewing globe off before it could show Adam's defeat.

With the Piscelons capable of appearing anywhere in Angel Grove," he turned to the doplar map being created by the sensors the Rangers had stationed earlier. They showed the alien forms appearing and disappearing randomly throughout the city. "It really is best if we all stay here."

Billy turned back to the group expecting to see that his argument had convinced Melanie to stay. But he did not find her at all.

"Where did she go?"

They all turned to the spot she had been occupying at the start of the scientist's speech. It was now empty.

"If I had to guess," Jason sighed. "I'd say she went to work."


	16. The Cows in the Forest

_can you believe it? more than one update in a day! i'm quite proud of myself. Please review! Thanks!_

**The Cows in the Forest**

Thanks to Billy's insistence on replaying the footage of the Piscelons, Dr. Kovac's comic medicine had lost its affect, and Adam was once again all she could think about. The hustle of the kitchen, however, proved the right medicine for Melanie's worried mind; in this world of stainless steel walls and cobalt tiled floors only rhythmic chopping, low simmering boils, and the perfect combination of herbs and spices mattered. The smell of broiling salmon brought memories of romantic dinners bubbling to the surface.

Pushing open the door she entered her restaurant. The place was empty but for the few regulars. It was the 4 pm lull. A woman with graying hair walked in nervously. She wasn't what one expects a client to look like, but she was one of the regulars, too. Sitting at a small table that provided a pleasant view of the restaurant, the woman placed a cabbage-shaped mug on the table as she always did. Without any encouragement Michael, the only waiter on duty, filled the mug with herbal tea, and continued the conversation that he and the graying woman had been having every Tuesday from 4 till 6 since the restaurant opened over one year ago.

Once she was assured that all her regulars were being well looked after, Melanie returned to the kitchen. There were some fresh pears just screaming to be caramelized and wrapped in a crape. Within seconds of re-entering her kitchen, she realized her pears would have to wait. Piscelons, ten of them, were crashing around her kitchen. Kyle, one of her chefs, was unconscious by the open freezer; Nick, her other chef, was half-hidden in the dirty towel cart.

Giving a little thanks for having only half of her afternoon kitchen staff that day Melanie reached for her communicator. She found her wrist naked, and began cursing herself. It was her own rule: No jewelry in the kitchen. That included walkie-talkie wrist wear. The locker where her communicator sat was by the now-ruined back door, blocked by ten rather evil fish. Having already faced them once, Mel knew better than to take on ten by herself. But she had no way of contacting the others…or did she.

She quickly ducked out of the kitchen, and hoped the Piscelons wouldn't see the door for at least another few minutes. The plan was to run to the phone, but how would she explain the sudden appearance of Piscelons to Michael or to her regulars. Moreover, how would she explain her friends' teleportation skills. The answer struck her.

"FIRE!" She shouted. "RUN! There's a fire!"

Michael, the always dependable, ushered the few customers out the door with assurances that their meal was on the house. He glanced back into the restaurant, and, receiving a nod from his boss, ran like it was his trousers on fire and not the kitchen. Once all were out of sight, Melanie grabbed the phone and dove behind the bar. In her panic she dialed the first number that came into her hurried mind.

"Come on…come on…Why aren't you answering?"

Then she realized who she had called. Adam would not be answering his mobile phone, not even for her.

"Um….hello?" a man asked in her ear.

"The Cows are in the Forest." Melanie blurted out the code developed years ago to amuse themselves. She tried to translate, but the phone went dead.

-----------------------------------------------

John Carter was past trying to comprehend anything that was going on around him. He walked from the infirmary, Adam's neon green mobile phone still held to his ear.

"Excuse me," he called. Only a few people bothered to turn, but he continued anyway. "Melanie called." A few more turned. "She says: 'the Cows are in the Forest.' I'm going back to the infirmary now."

Erin stopped her work. The phrase sounded familiar, but she couldn't quite place the meaning. During the Fall Melanie had joined the team they created so many "goof codes" it was hard to recall many of them. Most of the others just shook their heads, but Andrea sprinted to the teleporter controls. When no one else followed she shouted at them.  
"What are you waiting for? The Cows are in the Forest. Let's go!"

"Meaning?" Zack asked.  
"Something's going down! Now get your butts into action!"

"Right." Zack replied, only half believing the code. He, Kimberly, Tanya, and Rocky teleported to the restaurant. They discovered that none of them would ever doubt Melanie and Andy's codes again.


	17. Chapter 17

_ So sorry for the extremely long period in between updates. Had a lot going on. As usual, I own nothing but the original characters. No sue me! :) Enjoy!!_

**CHAPTER 17**

Though Kimberly never would have said it, she had been wondering how Adam and Melanie had been so badly beaten by the Piscelons. She had been a Ranger from the beginning, had stayed a Ranger longer than many of her friends. She has fought with all varieties of evil minions, and never had she, a gymnast with little martial training, been hurt as badly as Adam was. Kimberly questioned whether Adam had simply lost his edge.

According to Billy the Aquitians had spend years mutating the Piscelons into the perfect foot soldiers. But Billy had never faced these monsters. He couldn't know, not without firsthand knowledge, how easy it was for the Piscelons to block any of the former-rangers' advances. These were not just designed to fight any who stood in the Aquitians' path to power; these were designed specifically for the Power Rangers.

Within minutes of joining the fight Kimberly know there was no way to defeat the Piscelons without the Ranger powers. Perhaps that is why she was the first to fall, knocked down by a talon to her side. Rocky was next. Both a member of his family and his best friend had nearly been killed by these abominations; rage, blinding and red, washed through his every thought, blocking out all but his revenge. Rocky had not been in the park during the first confrontation, nor had he been in the Command Center watching, learning how the Piselons fought. If he had seen, he would have known not to ignore the Piscelons he was not fighting, for they often proved the greater threat.

This was a lesson Rocky would now learn, as on Piscelon took advantage of Rocky's distracted mind and ripped its claws down his back. Unprepared for such a blow, Rocky fell quickly. The Piscelon took a moment to consider Tanya before it sent her flying over the bar, where she landed on top of the twice defeated Melanie.

Only Zack remained. His own peculiar brand of martial dance left the Piscelons unable to pin him down. But even though the original Black Ranger had managed to stay standing, and despite the cocky words flowing from his mouth, even Zack was not fool enough to try to take on ten Piscelons.

"You know those Cows," he said, hoping his communicator was still transmitting. "They're tougher than we thought."

Back in the Command Center no on needed Andi to translate. The team was in trouble. All five were teleported from the restaurant, leaving the Piscelons to play havoc with Melanie's precious kitchen.


End file.
